CNN’s, NYT’s Herndon: Harris Can Say She’s Different, But She and Dems Spent ‘Years Defending Joe Biden’

On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “AC360,” New York Times National Politics Reporter and CNN Political Analyst Astead Herndon stated that while Democrats can put out policies to say they’re different from President Joe Biden, “they spent two years defending Joe Biden and kind of defending a status quo administration that’s really unpopular.”

After host Anderson Cooper said that it isn’t as though 2024 Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump has tons of plans while Harris has none and CNN Senior Political Commentator and former Obama adviser David Axelrod argued Harris has put out more plans, Herndon said, “I somewhat think the plans discussion is too small, though, for Harris’ big problem in this race. I think if Democrats have a challenge they have to overcome, it’s that they are tied to the status quo in what feels like a change election. You can put out policies to kind of project how you’re different than that. But I think the biggest thing that is really weighing them down on that question, was they spent two years defending Joe Biden and kind of defending a status quo administration that’s really unpopular. And so, they are still playing catch-up on the new way forward question. That is the litmus test that she laid out for herself in those interviews.”

Herndon added that it does depend if voters want change from Biden or Trump’s politics.

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett